RWBY WARLOCK: The New Frontier
by HazyPhantom
Summary: RWBY like you have never seen before. A world no longer just with Grimm but with real monsters that go bump in the night. In this story, it follows James H Phantom, A Warlock from 21st Century Earth who has jumped from one plane of existence to this one to study new magic. He will meet new Friends and meet all sorts of Monsters. With Magic, Drama, Action, and so much more! ENJOY!
1. The New Frontier

Chapter One: Reminate, The New Frontier

"Somewhere. Something Incredible is waiting to be known."

-Carl Sagan

* * *

The moon held high in the sky, shining with a radiant glow despite its shattered state. The night was calm as if nothing could go wrong. But, in the Kingdom named Vale, there was a shift in the air causing an uneasiness with its people.

Somewhere in the Commercial District in Vale, was a Rift; A Portal from one Reality to the next. In an alleyway, the portal sparked and lit up with an almost pure shade of sky blue. The sound of footsteps accompanied by a tap of a cane.

The portal was calm, like an untouched lake… and then outburst a foot, covered in a harness boot made of dark leather, of which a large portion was covered by the pant leg of a pair of dress pants. The portal rippled like water as more of the individual pierced the veil, a derby handled cane pressing upon the ground, made from black ebony wood and tipped by a silver embroidered handle.

Soon he emerged, dark blue cloak fluttering in the wind as his hood engulfed his face in darkness. In most cases one would presume he was utterly confident- up until his hand lifted and tugged on the neck of his black shirt nervously, the shifting of his arms rustling his small black leather messenger bag resting on his side with the essentials.

The portal starts to spark and die down and fade, making a sound like a generator powering down until there is no evidence that it was there at all. The young man takes a delighted deep breath and exhales. "Ah, clean air. Much better than home, right Teach?" He turns his head behind him then turns around in confusion. "Karin? Where did you go?" Looking around the alleyway it was only him and what sounded like rats scurrying around in the trash.

"The spell worked, so where could she be? I don't even see that troubling cat of hers." He said aloud, stroking his chin in confusion. "Perhaps she is somewhere else on this Plain. I will have to form a base of operations and learn more about this world before I go looking for her."

Calmly he walked out of the alleyway and into the streets of the city. It seemed to be a rather pleasant and full of activity even at night. He looked up and noticed the moon was rather broken. This was rather shocking to him. "What could have happened to it to cause it to be broken into many pieces yet not be pulled by the gravity of the planet?"

"One mystery I will need to look into." He said pulling a small notebook out of his back pocket and writing it down on his to-do list before putting back into his pocket. He looked around and noticed their outfits were rather normal and he seemed to stand out a bit. But someone caught his eye. A girl with a red hood and skirt was walking by with some large metal object on her belt.

"Red Riding Hood?" He decided to follow her, taking steps to a shop that was written in English. The shop itself was called 'From Dust Till Dawn.' Gripping the handle he turns and steps in, a small chime of a bell ringing as the door shuts.

The store itself was stocked with many packaged objects on the shelves and vials of strange colored liquid. An old man around his late 70s stood behind a glass display case that acted as a counter. Inside the display case was an assortment of random colored crystals. "May I help you?" The old man said behind the counter.

Not wanting to be rude he walks up and rests his hand on the display. They seemed to radiate with strange energy. Looking right under was a small metal label. '100% Clean Cut Dust.'

This was another curiosity that the young man must find out. "Yes, could you tell me about this?" He said pointing to a Blue Dust Crystal. The old man gave a curious look. "Well… It is Dust with the element of Ice." "Interesting, does this mean Magic is well known and used in this world?"

"What is this used for?" He asked, inspecting it with curious eyes, fascinated by Dust. "Well, depending on what type you have, it can be used to warm up your stove, power your television or if you're a Huntsmen you can have them customized into bullets or other various things for your weapons

"Huntsmen? Are they like Witch Hunters? Either way best not to ask him anything else at the moment, I don't want to draw suspicion to myself."

"Thank you, I think I will look around." He says to the Older man. Walking around he notices the girl in red from earlier reading a magazine. "Hmm, maybe I can talk to her." Walking over he taps her shoulder and she turns around, and he notices that she is wearing headphones and she takes them off and smiles at the man wearing a cloak, counseling the upper half of his face in shadow. "Yes?"

Her skin was pale and her hair was short, only going down to her neck. It was black but at the tips of her hair were dark red. Her eyes were also a shining Silver color that was similar to the moonlight. Looking at her she couldn't be any older than 15 or 16 years old.

She wore a black blouse with long sleeves and red trimmings. Her outfit also had a black with red laced cincher in the front. Similar to the rest was her black and red skirt that went down to her lower thigh. Also to match she wore black knee socks and combat boots that had a bit of wear and tear on the soles.

The one thing that made her stand out was her Red Hooded Cloak that was fastened to her shoulders by two silver crosses that were pins. On her black belt was a large shining silver brooch that was shaped like a Rose along with a pouch that held bullets.

"I was wondering if you could help me? I am new here and I am having a bit of trouble." He says giving a warm smile to the young girl in red. "Oh, what brings you to Vale?" "Vale? Perhaps the name of this City? Or maybe the name of the Government? "

"I'm traveling, I live on the road and wanted to come and see this place for myself." He said leaning with his cane planted on the ground. "That sounds fun, have you been to the other Kingdoms?" She asked a bit excited, "No not yet, but I have plans to in the future."

"What was it you wanted to know?" She asked, tilting her head. "Yea, I wanted to know more about the Huntsmen here." As if he said some magic words her eyes lit up like fireworks. "Huntsmen are the coolest! Traveling, Fighting Monsters, saving People! Oh, they are just so cool! I'm going to Signal Academy to become one, my mom and dad are Huntsmen and my sister is going to Beacon Academy this year to become one too."

"Monsters? So they exist in this world as well. Huntsmen seem to be this worlds Witch Hunters." This made him grip his cane in anger but he kept a cheerful smile.

"So do monsters have no rights?" He said with an almost hint of anger. She looked at him confused. "Of course they do. But they are a bit too strong for the cops to handle so that is why Huntsmen exist." "So monsters do have rights? So I guess Huntsmen are different from Witch Hunters. I can admire the want to keep the populace safe; if a monster is killing innocents then it is understandable to want and stop them, even monsters will stop other monsters if they see a problem." He loosened his grip on his cane, no longer angry.

"So what are people's feelings on monsters?" She gave a bit of a sad expression. "Well like the Faunus they get discriminated against. But I think they are more feared because of the power they have. I kinda feel bad for them because of the Witch Hunters hunting them down, I mean there aren't many left because of them." He stroked his chin, digesting what was said.

"Faunus? Well, she doesn't say they are a type of monster so perhaps another race? And there does seem to be Witch Hunters so it is safe to say my Kind are here. It is good to know I have rights as a Warlock but it would paint a target on my back to say I am one. Best to keep it secret for the time being."

He then came to the realization that he had not learned this girls name. "How rude of me, I haven't even told you my name." He said, "I am James H Phantom, a scholar, and historian of sorts. Thank you for answering my questions." James said bowing his head slightly. "It was no problem, I'm Ruby, Ruby Rose." The two shake hands.

The door to the shop opens and several men walk into the store. Many were in a black suit, red tinted glasses and carrying guns and machete swords with them. One man who was leading them. He had ginger hair, wore a white coat, bowler hat and carried a Crook Handled Cane.

The man puffed on his cigar before dropping it on the ground and putting it out with his cane. "Do you have any idea how hard it was to find a Dust shop open this late?" The ginger criminal said to the old man. "P-please, just take my Lien and leave." The old man said raising his hands in a terrified manner. "Shhh, calm down we're not here for your money. Grab the Dust." The ginger-haired man said as his henchmen started to steal the Dust.

Ruby and James looked over to see this happening. "Looks like he is being robbed," Ruby said with disgust. "Well guess we should do something shouldn't we?" James said, giving Ruby a sly smile even with most of his face concealed. "You know how to fight?" Ruby asked reaching for the metallic object on her hip. James said nothing only walking up to one of the henchmen who then pointed his sword at him.

"Hey! Stay right there!" The Henchmen said, ready to fight. The hooded man smiled showing an almost evil grin. "Grr" The Henchman gripped his sword tighter and performed an overhead swing. James in a single moment sidestepped it and jabbed the end of his cane into his opponents gut forcing him to double over, he then raised his cane and slammed it down on the man's head forcing him to the ground and knocking him out cold. "Night night."

He then hears the sound of a click and something charging and looks up to see another henchman pointing a gun at him. "Freeze!" Suddenly a red blur passes before James's eyes and bashes into the Henchmen and than smashes him through the window. Everyone looks outside to see Ruby holding onto her weapon as it unfolded into a large scythe. "What kind of world did I stumble onto?" She then spins it around before crashing the edge of her blade into the concrete road. "Okayyy…" The ginger says looking at her before gesturing his Hentchmen to go after her.

Three men run at her, the first henchman swings at her and she uses her scythe to swing herself and kick the henchmen. She lands and two more run up to her, she pulls the trigger on her weapon to fire a round and uses the momentum, to swing and hit one, flinging him into the air and then slamming it down onto the next henchman.

James ran up with his Cane as another henchman gets ready to fire at Ruby with an assault rifle. He swung his cane like a baseball bat and clocked the Henchman in the face. The man fell back and gripped his face noticing a few of his teeth broken. "Ooh, sorry about that. Guess I swung a bit too hard." James said cleaning off the small spots of blood on the handle.

Two more Henchman came running out of the store and ran at James. With a tap of his cane both of their feet froze in place, the Henchmen tried to use her weapons to break the ice keeping them in place but it didn't so much as scratch it.

The smooth criminal walks out and looks at the disappointment that was the men he hired. "You all were worth every cent, truly you were." He said sarcastically with an undertone of irritation. "Well you two our little engagement was fun but it's about time we all part ways." He said, pointing his cane at Ruby, the bottom pops upward and fires a flare at her and then James. Ruby pole vaults herself upward to avoid the explosive. James with a twirl of his cane creates a dome of ice around himself as a protective shield.

Ruby lands on her feet and looks over to see the ice dome melt and James with his cane in his left hand ready to fight. The two look around to see the criminal climbing a nearby latter onto the roof. Ruby uses her weapon to launch herself up and onto the roof while James creates a small platform of ice that rises up to the roof.

The two of them see the criminal at the edge of the roof. "Hey!" Ruby yelled to get his attention."Persistent…" He turns to the two and a large flying vehicle rises up behind him and he hops on. "End of the line you two!" He shouted over the noise. It rises up and the ginger throws a crystal of red Dust at their feet. He points his cane and fires a flare at the crystal causing an explosion as he cheers.

As the smoke clears they all see a woman, with blond hair put into a bun with a curl hanging down her right side, behind a pair of thin ovular glasses were beautiful emerald green eyes. She wore a white long-sleeved, blouse with her lower body covered by a black high-waisted pencil skirt with bronze buttons along with black stockings that held black boots with bronze heels.

She wielded a riding crop and seemed to have blocked the explosion with a type of Ward or something similar. "Hm" Adjusting her glasses she swings her crop creating several purple arrows of energy that fly and hit the ship causing it to spin almost out of control.

As it attempts to flee the woman flicks her crop over her head and creates a storm cloud that starts to rain shards of ice. A woman steps out, her face concealed by shadows but wore what looked like a red dress and high heels. She brushed her left hand over her right arm and aims it at us creating a large fireball. The blonde deflects it and the fireball splatters over the ground and started to charge before exploding.

With the now exploded shards of the roof the green-eyed woman used telekinesis to form them into a spear and launches it at the airship. In response, the woman in heels fires many bolts of fire at the spear in an attempts to destroy it. It only seemed to force them to be divided into smaller ones to attack from all directions.

In a moment the red woman created a ring of fire that completely disintegrated the concrete spears. Ruby folds down her scythe down and starts to fire at the woman. The bullets are blocked effortlessly by the woman with fire. She then creates a glow of fire at everyone's feet and starts to erupt. The blonde threw Ruby out of the way as James puts up a thick wall of ice to protect himself.

When the smoke cleared the ship had taken off and out of reach. "That was magic. I could feel it from the woman in heels. This will be another thing to look into." He looks over to Ruby and the Blonde wearing a purple cape. "Are you a Huntress?" Ruby asked in excitement to the woman. "Can I have your autograph?!"

* * *

Inside a police station was James, sitting in an interrogation room. He had his right leg crossed over to his left, on his lap. His cane leaning against the metal table. "They didn't take my things so I'm not in trouble it seems. But if it starts to turn sour I can always teleport. I don't see any warding spells nullifying my magic. I have been sitting here for almost a half an hour, what are they doing?"

He tapped his foot in anticipation. Waiting was something he didn't mind but waiting when his life's on the line started to put him on edge. A moment later, the woman from earlier walked in holding an electronic device. "Do you know what you have done?" She said looking at the hooded young man.

"I apologize for any wrongdoings I might have done, My intention was only to subdue the robbers. If you seek to punish me I will understand." He said kindly as to not want to generate conflict. The woman sighs, "As much as I admire the sentiment you are not in trouble. But somebody here would like to meet you."

As she says this a middle-aged man with tousled silver-ish hair and brown eyes walked in. He wore shaded glass spectacles, a black unzipped black suit over a buttoned vest and green shirt and simple black dress pants. In his right hand was a Knob Handle Cane and in his left was a coffee mug with a 'Beacon Academy' Logo on the side. "Hello, Mr. Phantom. I am sorry for the long wait, the chat with Miss Rose took a bit of time." He said taking a seat.

"No worries, I didn't have anywhere else to be at the moment so I am ok with waiting," James said as he extended his hand to shake his. The two shake hands with a smile. "Introductions are in order, I am Professor Ozpin and this is Professor Glynda Goodwitch," Ozpin said gesturing his hand to the woman behind him.

"You seem to already know it but I am James H Phantom, It is a privilege to meet a fellow scholar. " He said with a small bow. "So you are a Professor as well?" James waved his hand dismissively. "No, I have no degree in such things. I do it of my own accord to learn and understand as anything that peaks my interest."

"So what brings you here to Vale?" He asked taking a sip of his coffee. "I was traveling, currently I am looking for a home to take residence in." Ozpin nods, "Your skills out there with Ice were rather impressive, is that your Semblance or perhaps Dust?" Ozpin asked arching a brow.

"Semblance? 'An Outward aspect or Appearance?' Hmm, If I act like I know what it is I might reveal something I shouldn't. Best to play it safe until I understand the basics."

"No, It was just Dust. I am rather talented with the elements. And what about you Miss Goodwitch? Was that display earlier yours?" He asked quizzically. "Yes, mine is telekinesis; I can also use Dust to amplify cerian effects like the Hailstorm I made." She responded.

"I am getting a strange feeling from both of them. Ozpin seems to have a strange energy about him. As for Glynda, I sense an energy that seems to be mixed with another energy. Are they Monsters as well?"

"If you don't mind could you take off your hood?" Ozpin asks politely. "I would rather not, I get many looks when people see my face." He said hesitantly. "You need not worry about being judged here. The two of us have seen our fair share of scares." Ozpin says smiling.

"Oh, my face is not scared or even deformed in any way. I just find the looks people give me to be rather… Distracting." James said waving his hand. "No worries, but it would be nice to see your face." Ozpin said pressing. James sighed and began to remove his hood.

His long hair flowed down and rested partly on the table and into his lap. His face could be best described as a 'Pretty Boy.' If he had different attire he could have been mistaken for a model or movie star. James brushed a long lock of black silk hair out of his face and sighed.

Skin was a rich peach color and his eyes were a rather unique; the right eye was a light green with a splash of crimson red around the pupil along with many dark blue spikes forming lines from the pupil to the edge of the iris. The left had 3 rings of color with a dark pink center, ocean blue middle and violet purple on the outer edge.

He looked at Ozpin who was only smiling while Glynda, on the other hand, had a slight blush built up into her cheeks before closing her eyes and taking a quiet deep breath and going back to her normal demeanor. "People don't tend to respect my intelligence, they only tend to like me for my looks." James said before putting his hood back up.

"Your eyes are rather strange, both are different and have unique designs to them. An old wives tale says that one with two different colored eyes was lucky for those who look into them. I wonder how much luck could be obtained by yours." Ozpin said jokingly.

"I heard that those with them can see into the true hearts of men and women. Sadly I wish both tales were true." James said with a small smile. "Well I was hoping to offer you something and you may accept or decline if you wish," Ozpin said sitting up more in his chair.

"An offer? This is interesting, and perhaps a trap. I best be ready to vanish at any moment." "So what might this offer be?" James asked as tilted his head and slowly reached for his cane. "I am the Headmaster of Beacon Academy. A school to train young minds to fight evil wherever it may be. I offered this to Miss Rose as well and I was hoping that you would like to attend my school this year?"

"Attend a school for Huntsmen? I don't know if I should be happy or weary of the idea. It might be a trap but he just might be genuinely trying to offer me something." "What may I ask does this school provide? I am honored you offer but I would be happy to know a little more." He said clasping his hands together.

"You will be provided with a dorm room along with a team. You will have all necessities you will need for daily life such as food and other things. We have places for you to train your skills in combat and a very large library that rivals the one here in Vale." Ozpin said listing off everything.

"Hmm, a base of operations and a way to learn more about this world. Not to mention I will have many Huntsmen around in case of Witch Hunters. This could give me ample time to set up a new base elsewhere. This does sound like a great offer but…"

"What are the principles of this school?" James asked. "We train future warriors to fight the forces of evil. If Criminals, Monsters or even Terrorists threaten the lives of the people we are there to stop them." Ozpin explained to James. "And what is the stance on monsters?" James said leaning forward.

"We have no problems with monsters that obey the law like everyone else." This made James smile. "Thank you, I believe judging anyone by what they are rather than their character is an ignorant thing to do. I am glad to know there is such a place."

"So will you be joining us?" Ozpin asked with a small smile. "Yes, I would be delighted to join Beacon. Thank you for the opportunity."


	2. Beacon of Knowledge

**Chapter Two: Beacon of Knowledge**

* * *

The airship flew through the air to its destination. Mr. Phantom was leaning up against a wall, reading a small pamphlet of Vale as well as the other Kingdoms he found on the side of the road that was meant for tourists. " _So Vale in one of the 4 Kingdoms along with Atlas, Mistral, and Vacuo. There is a lot of space between the Kingdoms for villages and other places. This makes things easier."_

He looked up to see the news playing. "The robbery was led by nefarious criminal Roman Torchwick, who continues to evade authorities." The newsman said displaying an image of the Ginger man from the other night. " _Roman Torchwick? He seems to be friends with the woman in heels. Perhaps if I find him I will find her as well. She had a strange magic that I want to learn more about. Another thing to look into."_

He pulls his notebook out of his pocket and writes down on another page 'Roman Torchwick' circling it and connecting a line to 'Red Heels' with a few question marks around it. Closing it he put it back into his pocket and looking back up at the News.

"Today, Witch Hunters were seen in Vale killing a local baker who is said to be a Vampire. In other news, this Saturdays Faunus civil rights protest was turned for the worse when members of the White Fang disrupted the ceremony and causing massive damage to-" The news stops playing and a Hologram of Glynda Goodwitch appeared.

"Hello and welcome to Beacon. My name is Glynda Goodwitch. You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy. Our world has been seeing a revolution of knowledge and change. But as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is our duty to uphold the peace. You all have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task."

" _She seems a lot more cheerful than she was the other night. And it is good to know the world is experiencing so much at the moment. This will be fun to pioneer for new knowledge of the world. What excitement!"_ He thought, smiling at the prospect of all the world's knowledge at his fingertips to discover.

"Now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world." The Hologram fades and everyone went up to the window to see the city. Soon the airship approached Beacon, landing to let its students off.

As he took a step off he notices something off. When his cane touched the ground he felt a strange energy that felt familiar. It was a similar energy to the Woman in Red Heels. " _Is she here? No, it feels the same but… weaker for some reason. It also seems to be coming from below."_ He looked at the ground and tapped his chin.

" _Is it maybe a similar type of magic? The woman in Red seemed to radiate it while this one seems rather weak. They must be connected somehow."_ James thought before walking forward knowing he would have to look into it later.

The school itself was rather gorgeous. Beautiful architecture made of marble and stone. The campus was rather large even for a school. There was a path leading forward, but someone was lying on the ground.

Stepping forward he saw it was Ruby, the girl from the night before and he extended his hand to her. "Are you alright?" He asked with a small smile, still hiding his upper face with his hood. Ruby took his hand and was brought to her feet. "Thank you, wait, your James from the other night right?" Ruby asked a little excited.

"James H Phantom, at your service." He said taking a bow. "It is good to see you again Ruby Rose." Ruby smiled, "You can just call me Ruby." The two of them walk to the entrance of Beacon. "So why did you help me?" She asked.

"Do I need a reason to help someone in need?" He questioned. "I guess not," Ruby said, nodding her head. "What happened back there?" James asked, arching a brow. "There was a little accident, I really don't want to talk about it," Ruby said looking at the ground, ashamed.

"I understand, So what about your weapon? I noticed it was rather helpful the other night." James asked looking at the metallic object on her hip. "Oh, this is Crescent Rose. I love her, and I made her myself." Ruby said unfolding it to show me.

James inspected it, fascinated by the idea of this young girl making such a weapon. " _If Ruby made this on her own I wonder what other weapons exist at this school? These Huntsmen seem a lot more skilled that Witch Hunters from my world. I will have to be careful and study them just in case. Keeping my magic to a minimum is my best chance to not be put on the hit list. But… Ruby seems to be a nice girl, maybe if I find more friends I can have alleys in case things go south."_

"What weapon do you have?" Ruby asked with sparkling eyes. "It's not really a weapon but I have this." He said holding up his Cane. "It is rather durable so it won't break and the handle is pure silver." Ruby held it in her hands looking it over. "Ooh, did you make this?"

"No, it was a gift. I consider it a treasure that I hold dear." James said with a fond expression. "Who gave it to you?" Ruby asked handing it back to him.

* * *

 _ **Flashback**_

* * *

Deep in a forest only a mile away from civilization was a small wooden cabin. Inside, A young man was sitting in an old wooden chair reading an ancient book titled, 'Focusing and Casting.' He was hard at work studying before the cabin door opened and he looked to see an older woman who looked to be in her 60s she wore a gray cowl that helped keep her slightly cool in the summer heat.

"James, mind coming here for a moment?" She asked as the young man stood up and walked over. "Yes, ma'am? Is there something you need?" He asked ready to help her with anything she might need help with. "No, but I have something for you." She said making James tilt his head.

"Something for me?" She nodded and walked over to the table setting down a long wooden case. "Since you have been very helpful and you have been my student for over a year now, I think you should have this." She said gesturing him to open it.

He walks over and slowly opened it. Inside was a Cane made of Black Ebony wood with a Silver derby handle. "Wow… Karin thank you." She smiled, "I had it specially made, the wood is from a Black Ebony Tree; A very rare and endangered tree. The magic with it makes it a perfect staff."

James held it in his hands and was smiling ear to ear. "Thank you so much." He hugged the old woman gently as to not hurt her. "Anything for my student, you have done very well and I am glad to see you so happy."

* * *

"It was from my teacher. She gave it to me." James said, smiling. The two kept walking till they reached an amphitheater where all of the students gathered. "Ruby! Over here! I saved you a spot!" A blonde bombshell yelled.

"Oh, that's my sister. I'll talk to you later ok!" Ruby said running off to her blonde sister. "What an interesting girl." He said chuckling to himself. Walking to a wall he leaned up against it. James saw that a few other students were giving him strange looks.

" _I guess looking rather shady doesn't go well with them."_ James thought before hearing someone stepped closer and lean against the wall next to him. He looked to his right to see a girl with bright red hair made into a ponytail. She seemed to wear a type of bronze gladiator outfit.

"Is that Pyrrha Nikos the untouchable warrior?!" One student said whispering to another. "The 4 time Mistral Champion?! Oh my god!" The other responds. " _Pyrrha Nikos? That's greek, isn't it? Strange… first, the English which I can dismiss as a coincidence and now greek? Interesting… "_

"Pyrrha huh? That means 'Flame-Colored right?" James asked looking at the girl next to him. "Oh, yes. My mother named it after my hair." She said softly. "I'm James H Phantom," He said looking at her. "Pyrrha Nikos, nice to meet you." She says, looking at him in return.

"Nice to meet you as well." She smiled and they saw Ozpin walk on stage; coughing to get everyone's attention. "I'll keep this brief, You have all traveled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you and all I see is wasted energy in need of purpose and direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far… It is up to you to take the first step."

" _The generalization of that speech was rather insulting. Knowledge is the highest form of knowing what to do with oneself. I seek to dedicate myself to the understanding of the world, not for a kingdom but because ignorance is a disease that needs to be cured."_

Ozpin walks off stage and Glynda steps up. "Tonight you will all gather in the ballroom and tomorrow your initiation begins. Be ready. You are all dismissed." Everybody started to leave, going their own ways. "It was nice talking to you. I hope to see you soon." Pyrrha said waving goodbye.

James was walking through the hallways, mapping out where everything was. The school was rather extensive with activities. The Lecture Hall, Dorms, and Dining Hall all had their own buildings. The hallways that connected them had smaller rooms for recreational purposes like a gym, music room and art center.

The Library was massive; thousands of books lined the shelves. It was a wonderland for a lover of stories and knowledge. As James was walking to the ballroom he turned the corner and bumped into someone causing everything in their hands to fall out.

He looked to see a girl with long black hair, black and white clothes, amber eyes and a large black bow tied to her head. "I am so sorry, you came out of nowhere. Here, let me." James said bending over to pick up her book she had dropped called 'The man with two souls.'

He hands it to her. "The man with two souls? Sounds like an interesting book." She takes it and holds it under her arm. "Thank you. And yes, it is a rather satisfying book." She said smiling a little but seemed to be on edge.

"James H Phantom, you?" He said offering a hand. She stares at his hand for a moment before slowly took his hand to shake it. "Blake Belladonna…" James looked at her quizzically for a moment. " _Belladonna? Like as in Deadly Night?"_

"I must be going, I have to get ready for bed," Blake says turning her gaze and walking away. "I hope to see you later." He says but Blake seemed to be distracted by something else at the moment. " _Maybe she is just nervous. Tomorrow is a big day."_ With the thought in mind, he decides to go and rest for what is tomorrow.

Walking to the ballroom James sees many of the new students all laying in sleeping bags. He finds a spot in the corner of the room and leans against the wall, regretting not bringing a sleeping bag to this world. He looks around and sees Ruby and the girl she mentioned earlier to be her sister.

" _The two don't look all to similar to each other to be sisters; Maybe Adopted or Half Sisters? I suppose it isn't important enough to look to much into it at the moment."_ He looked out at the moon through the tall window. Enjoying the glow.

As he looked out he felt something off, it was from down below. He could feel something calling out to him, as if it were a cry for help. James felt a chill and didn't know what to do. " _What is this feeling?"_

Deep down James wanted to explore. He felt a sort of sorrow for whatever was calling out for help. But he knew that searching now would make him suspicious at the moment. He would wait before finding what lies below.

* * *

James was walking around in the locker room, inspecting the students and their weapons as to better understand them. As he walked he noticed Ruby talking to her sister and Pyrrha talking to a girl who could be best described as a Princess.

She had snow white hair and wore a blue and white dress with a symbol of a snowflake on the back. Her eyes were a crystal blue and looking closer she had a small scar on her left eye.

James walked past Ruby and her Sister and was about to pass Pyrrha and the princess before something fell out of his pocket. "Excuse me." He turns to see Pyrrha holding his notebook. "You dropped this."

He smiled and took it, tucking it away in his pocket. "Thank you, Your Pyrrha right? From the other day?" James asked. "Yes, your James?" Pyrrha said smiling. The princess tapped her foot in irritation, crossing her arms. James smiles and extends his hand to her.

"James H Phantom, who might you be miss?" He asked. "Weiss Schnee, Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company." She said extending her hand. James takes her hand and bows slightly, planting a soft kiss on her knuckles. Causing her to slightly blush.

"A pleasure to meet you, I wish you the best of luck out there." He said raising his head to see Weiss blushing a shade of pink, and then crossing her arms. "I-it's… nice to meet you too…" He smiles before an announcement starts to play on the speakers. "All first-year students please report to Beacon cliff for initiation."

"Guess we should be going, perhaps I will see you two out there," James says as he turns around to leave.


	3. When They Go

**Chapter Three: When they Go**

* * *

All of the new students stood on the edge of Beacon cliff as Ozpin and Goodwitch were explaining how initiation will work. "For years you have trained to become warriors. And today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." Ozpin says, looking over his students.

"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates… today." Glynda says looking at her scroll.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well with." Ozpin says as Ruby lets out a nervous moan.

"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next 4 years." Ozpin finishes and Ruby let out a saddened 'What?!' "See, I told you!" A young girl with ginger hair said to another young man with distinct green eastern clothing.

"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die. You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation. But our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing figures of monsters. Each pair must choose one, and return to the top of the cliff. That will be what you are graded on. Are there any questions?" Ozpin asks.

"Yes, I was wondering what kinds of monsters we will see out there," James said raising his hand. "Sorry but that will be a surprise," Ozpin said, looking at him. "I understand," James says lowering his hand.

"Now, take your positions." Everyone gets into a stance as to help them when they launch and land. James only put his left foot forward and bent his knees slightly, gripping his cane. " _This school has an interesting way of testing students. Sure I could do this easily with my magic but I need to keep it low for now and stick to Ice."_

One by one everyone was launched into the air. James was flying through and making sure his hood didn't fall off. As he came closer to the ground James used his magic to create a slide of Ice that he surfed down to the ground before melting it. "That was rather fun, I could go for another round." He joked, straightening his cloak.

James looked around taking in the environment. "If I had to guess Kobolds, Trolls and a few other forest creature should be local to these kinds of wood. That is if they exist." He said taking a step forward before noticing a patch of lavender.

Kneeling down to it he pulls a small empty glass vial and plucked some of the lavender; putting it in the vial before putting it away in his bag. He hears the rustling of the bushes and he turns his head slightly to see Pyrrha walking through.

"James?" She asks walking closer. "Hello Pyrrha, looks like we are teammates." He says drawing his attention back to the lavender. They hear the sounds of two girls arguing and see Ruby and Weiss who then take notice of James and Pyrrha.

"James?" Ruby says, "Pyrrha?" Weiss says looking at the two. "Hello, ladies," James says taking more lavender and putting it into another small glass vial. "Um, what are you doing?" Ruby asks looking over his shoulder.

"Picking Lavender, I like to make incense with it. Helps provide a nice calming environment and wards against bad spirits." He says standing up. "So are you and Pyrrha partners?" Weiss asks, with a slight tone of desperation.

"Yes we are, I can see you and Ruby are as well. Congrats." He says looking around. "Not how I'd put it…" Weiss mutters under her breath. "We should go to the Temple. I'm sure whatever we run into we can all take care of together." Pyrrha says with a cheerful smile.

"Which way is the Temple?" Ruby asked as everyone looks around. "We came from the South, that way," James says pointing with his cane. "So I would think it is that way," He says pointing North.

"Are you sure? I don't want to get lost." Weiss says with a worrying look. "If you think you saw it another direction we can go that way," James says looking at Weiss. She looks around for a moment before looking back at James. "I guess we don't have that much of a choice…" She said disappointedly.

"Let us go then," James said walking with the girls following. "So James, do you always wear that hood? I can't see your face." Ruby asked walking beside him. "I find the stares everyone gives me to be distracting. I tend to get self-conscious with the looks they give me. " He said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Are you ok? Were you in an accident?" Pyrrha asked. James let out a small chuckle. "No, nothing like that. It's not that anything is wrong with my face." As they walk through the forest they hear what sounded like crying.

"Do you hear that?" Ruby asked. "Sounds like crying." Pyrrha responses and they walk through the bushes to see a small scaly creature crying. "It's a Kobold," James says looking at it. "I heard they are terrible tricksters. I say we ignore it." Weiss says. "It might be a trap," Pyrrha said looking around for other Kobolds.

James ignores them and walks up to the Kobold and sees it is a child. "Are you ok little one?" The small Kobold turns and jumps crawling back into a tree and closes its eyes, terrified. James walks up and kneels down. "It's ok, I'm not gonna hurt you. Here, are you hungry?" He says pulling an apple out of his bag and holding it out to the Kobold.

The Kobold looks at James then to the apple and slowly takes it before biting into it. "See, your ok. Where is your tribe?" James asked. The small kobold child looks at him confused. "I don't think he understands you," Ruby says as the others come closer. "Yea, let me see."

James rummages around in his bag and pulls out a book titled. 'Yipping of a Kobold.' After flicking through the pages he finds what he is looking for. " _You Hurt? Where Tribe?"_ He said, speaking Kobold. The child looked at him for a moment. " _Cave Beast! Smash Home!"_ The little Kobold said. " _Where Cave?"_ James asked and the young child pointed towards the cliffs only a good 30 yards away.

James smiles and pats the kobold child on the head before standing up. "There tribe was attacked by a Beast in the cave over there," James said looking over to the cliffs. "What do you want us to do about it?" Weiss asked crossing her arms.

"I plan to go and stop this creature. You can all come if you want." James said walking over to the cave with the Kobold following him. "James are you sure about this?" Pyrrha asked. "I'm very sure," James says. "But what if it's a trap?" Ruby asked.

"I'm sure if it was a trap all of us could take on a few kobolds. But in the case, this child is telling the truth I want to stop whatever is attacking them." He says as they all reach the cave entrance as the small Kobold hides behind James pant leg.

"So who is coming with me?" James asked, looking at the girls. "I'm not going in there!" Weiss said crossing her arms in defiance. "I don't have a good feeling about this," Pyrrha says looking at the entrance. "I'll go, but won't it be dark?" Ruby asked.

James looks to the ground and notices a pair of tracks different from a Kobold. Inspecting them his eyes widened. "Oh, no…" Everyone looks at the track. "What is it?" Standing back up he looks at the cave. "It's a Wendigo…" Pyrrha and Weiss looked shocked but Ruby was confused. "Whats a Wendigo?"

"You Dolt?! A Wendigo is a powerful monster! It's a hunter who fights and kills for sport!" Weiss said frantically. "As much as this Monster needs to be stopped, I don't think we can take on a Wendigo," Pyrrha says trying to talk James out of going into the cave.

"Wendigos are also nocturnal which means it should be asleep right now. This is the best time to stop this before it kills anybody else." James said walking to the entrance. " _As much as I try and give monsters chance Wendigos are more animal than human. Killing it would be a mercy."_

"Do any of you have Fire Dust or anything that can burn it?" James asks looking at the girls. "I have Dust but I'm not going in there! It will kill us!" Weiss said in protest. "James lets go and finish our initiation. We can get the teachers and they can handle this." Ruby said begging.

"I'm going in, you can all stay here. But I plan to stop it." James said walking into the cave without hesitation or any semblance of fear. "He's crazy!" Weiss says. Pyrrha looks at the little kobold and smiles. "I'm going in," Pyrrha said walking to the entrance. "Pyrrha?! Are you crazy!? You could die in there!" Weiss says trying to get her to stop.

"We came here to become Huntsmen. To help people and keep the peace. This child needs our help and James is willing to risk his life to help. So I am going to be there and help him." Pyrrha says walking in. "They're crazy! All this for some Kobold?!" Weiss said crossing her arms.

Ruby looks at the kobold child and then to the cave. "James seems like the kind of person who gives everyone a chance. Doesn't matter if you are Human, Faunus or Monster. So if he is doing this to give someone a chance then I will be there to help him too!" Ruby said running into the cave.

"Ruby!" Weiss yelled before looking at the kobold. The child had finished the apple and had started to bury the apple core in the ground. It was smiling like any other child and Weiss stared at him. "All my life I wanted a chance as a kid… and here I am not willing to do it for someone else…" She said in a rather sad tone.

She gripped her sword and marched into the cave. "Fine! You win!"

* * *

 _ **Flashback**_

* * *

' _Chop, Snap, Chop, Crack'_ The sound of wood being chopped for the fireplace. A young man had tied his hair back into a long ponytail that went down to his lower back. He wiped the sweat off my brow due to the hard work and summer heat.

Grabbing as much as he could he carried it inside the cabin and set them over by the woodstove. Dusting off his hands he sat down on a small wooden stool to take a short break.

"Hard at work, I see." He looked over to see a black cat resting on the window sill. "Yea, I think we should be good for the next month." He said in response. The cat jumped down and in a puff of smoke transformed into a tall woman with short red hair.

She wore a dark purple leather corset that was rather revealing. Her breasts were a size Double D. To match the Corset was a thong, and straps that helped keep what little clothes she had on together.

She had a very flattering figure with curves and the right amount of muscle tone. Her hair was short but kept into a twin ponytail that went down to her neck. The color was that of a light cherry red along with lavender eyes that could lure almost any man with a single look.

"So are you all done for the day?" She asked walking up to the young man. "Yes, I plan to take a short break before preparing something for Karin and I." He said, sitting down on a nearby wooden stool.

"You know, I could help you relax." She said crawling on all fours over to him. "Lucy, for the hundredth time no." He said tiredly yet firm in his words. "Oh pretty please? All my usual sources of fun are busy and I need something fun to keep me entertained." She said giving what could be best described as puppy dog eyes.

"I said no you troublesome Succubus. I will not succumb to your painful attempts to satisfy your own Lust." He said looking at her as she pouted. Lucy stood up and went behind him to massage his shoulders.

"Come on, pretty please with a cherry on top? You know deep down you really want to." She pushed, pressing her large breast into the back of his head. "It is rather hot out, maybe you should cool off." He said tapping his foot as a cold chill crawled up Lucy's spine.

"Whoa, ok ok no need to turn me into a block of ice; I just want to have a little fun." She said with a playfully saddened tone in her voice. "Why Karin puts up with you I will never understand." He said standing up.

"Oh, speaking of Karin, she has a message for you. Another monster has moved into this area, she would like you to take care of it without her." She said hugging him from behind. "What Monster? Just about everyone from Vampires to Trolls knows not to move into this territory without permission."

"It's something that could care less of what a Warlock thinks. A Wendigo." He froze upon hearing those words. "What is a Wendigo doing here? And why was I not informed sooner?" He asked turning to her and pushing her arms off him.

"This was news to me." She said, putting her hands behind her head. "One of your jobs is to keep an eye out for anything that may go on. Obviously, you have been whoring around too much to do your job."

"Hey that's not fair! I do a lot of work around here!" Lucy said in defiance. "If you were my familiar I would-" "Oh please punish me, master, I have been a really bad girl." She said bending over to show off her rather well-rounded ass.

"Agg!" He yelled in frustration. "I'm only kidding, now I think it best to take care of the Wendigo now before it attracts Witch Hunters here." She said as he calmed down. "Alright…" He said going to the door and grabbing his Cane.

"Just so you know James, I do a lot of work around here and the Underworld. Sex is the one thing I can do to relax after a long day." Lucy said walking next to him. James sighed, "Yes, I know. I guess I am just not particularly happy with the way you do it."

"Aw, are you jealous?" She said jokingly. "And if I was?" James said looking at her. Lucy looked at him with wide eyes. "Wait don't tell me that-" "I'm joking, Lust is all that your good for." He said taking a step outside. "Oh, you flatter me." She said with a smile.

* * *

Deep in the Emerald Forest was Blake and a young blonde girl making there way to the Temple. As they walk they stumbled across two others. One was a bubbly ginger girl and the other was a young man wearing traditional eastern clothing with long black hair and a strip of pink in the front.

The two groups looked at each other. "Hey." The blonde said waving to them. "Hey, it's nice to meet you! I'm Nora!" The peppy ginger said waving back in delight. "I'm Yang and this is Blake." The blonde said gesturing to her teammate.

"I'm Ren." The young man said very dismissively. "Do you know where the Temple is?" Nora asks. "Should be through those trees," Blake said, pointing. They all heard what sounded a growl and turn to see a pack of deformed black wolves with a skull-like face that radiated a dark glow. "Beowolf's…" Blake said, unsheathing her katana on her back.

They all draw their weapons, Yang had a pair of gauntlets that had a built-in shotgun. Nora unfolded her grenade launcher into a large Warhammer. Ren pulled out two pistols with small blades at the end.

"Looks like its only a few," Yang said looking at the three in front of her before more started to crawl out from the bushes. Blake, gave Yang a look, almost to say 'You Jinxed us.' As more came out the total number they could see was 30 of them.

Yang jumped into combat and attacked with a volley of punches, each punch exploding with a shotgun slug going off. Nora performed an overhead swing with her hammer, smashing the Beowolf's spine and moving onto the next. Ren fires his handguns in 3 round bursts towards the few Beowolf's attacking him and slicing them with the knives on the guns when they got close.

As one attacks Blake it fazes through her, but another Blake had appeared above it and sliced the Beowolf in half. The copy of Blake had disappeared and another Beowolf attached to the surprise of another fading copy.

As the battle went on they all hear a defining scream of a monster off in the distance. When the battle was over they all look at the direction of the scream."What was that?!" Nora yelled with a hint of excitement in her voice.

"It a Wendigo… but they are Nocturnal so they shouldn't be awake at this time." Blake said with concern. "Wendigo? When do we go to find it?" Yang said with a goofy grin. "If their Nocturnal then someone must have woken it up," Ren says and everyone's eyes widened.

"Ruby!" Yang said running in the direction of where the noise was. Blake followed her and Ren and Nora looked at one another and nodded before running after them.


	4. Bone to Ashes

Authors Note: Sorry it has been a bit. I hope you are enjoying the story so far. I love making this and I do like comments and reviews, lets me know what I'm doing well at and what I can improve. Enjoy!

* * *

Slowly James walked through the cave that the Wendigo has taken as it's home from a small tribe of Kobolds. He has been on alert due to the natural hunting prowess of the Wendigo. The young man was sure if the Wendigo was awake it could smell him.

But luckily due to the Kobold's that had lived here it is possible it could not discern his smell from when they were living there. Making it unlikely for the Wendigo to find him by smell, but if James makes a loud noise the beast could wake.

He walked carefully as to not make a noise. That was when he saw a terrible sight. Many Kobolds skinned and strung up as if to dry out the meat. James heard footsteps behind him and turned around to see Pyrrha, Ruby, and Weiss.

They see the state of the kobolds and gasp, Ruby looked away as Weiss looked to be a bit nauseous seeing what had happened and Pyrrha had a look of remorse on her face. "This is why I came to stop it…" He said looking back at the dead kobolds.

"How could it do such a thing?" Ruby asked, trying her best not to look. "Wendigos were Humans that resorted to cannibalism on Holy Land, because of this their very Humanity is stripped away from them. I pity them… that is why we need to put it down and lay the poor soul to rest." James said with remorse.

Pyrrha had a small smile, somewhat happy to see the humanity of her partner, the fact he would treat a Monster like it was Human was what made her heart beat a bit faster. Weiss on the other hand was discussed at the idea of what could have happened to force someone to become such a creature, while Ruby had the same amount of remorse that James shared.

James looked deeper into the dark cave. "Walk quietly, It might not be able to smell or see you when it is asleep but it has extraordinary hearing." He said walking deeper into the cave. "How do you know so much?" Weiss asked.

"Knowledge is the best source of power, it is a weapon for all battlefields." As they walked deeper inside they kept quiet. Making sure to keep an eye out for the Wendigo. Suddenly they heard an ear piercing screech that echoed throughout the cave.

Weiss and Ruby covered their ears for a moment while James and Pyrrha got into a stance ready to fight. Everyone looks to see a tall skeletal figure.

The beast had a skull structure similar to a deer. Its eyes were a black void and to match it also had antlers for its head. Its body was pale as moonlight and was very thin to the point its full skeleton could be seen, its arms were long and it had dagger-like fingers that looked to be covered in blood.

"Looks like he found us…" The Warlock said pointing his cane at it. "If you have any Humanity left inside you I ask you to let me end your suffering." He said looking at it. The Wendigo seemed to chuckle. "Prime… Meat…"

This was a shock to the rest of us to hear it talk. "You're able to talk… An Alpha Wendigo." James said with a venomous tone. "An Alpha?" Ruby asked readying her scythe. "For it to be an Alpha it must have killed Hundreds of Humans…"

Weiss made her Rapier use Dust to create a Red Glyph behind herself. "Then we must turn this Monster to ash!" Weiss yelled pointing her Rapier at the Wendigo. The Wendigo lets out a scream and charges forward.

Tapping his Cane on the ground, James attempted to freeze the Wendigo in place but all the Wendigo did was break free from it and started to charge straight towards him. As it went for a claw attack Pyrrha ran up and stopped it with her shield before slashing its arm with her spear.

The Wendigo jumped back and gripped its arm. Looking at Ruby it went right for her but was then set on fire by Weiss's Glyphs. It screamed in pain as it began to pat its body to put it out. Ruby with her speed ran to perform a slashing attack.

Its chest started to bleed but it grabbed Ruby and threw her. But Ruby managed to gain her footing again. The Wendigo was no longer on fire as it looked at the four of them, unsure what its next move should be.

Out of nowhere the Wendigo disappeared and reappeared behind Ruby and hit her, throwing her across the cave. "Ruby!" James yelled running over to her. "Are you alright?" Looking he noticed no damage to her body. "Yea, I think my Aura took most of the damage."

" _Aura? Very interesting… maybe I should- NO we are in the middle of a fight! Questions can be answered later!"_ "That's good." As the Wendigo ran up to attack James there was a loud bang of a shotgun.

The shot connected with the Wendigo and Everyone looks to see a young blonde. "Ruby!" She yelled. "Yang!" Ruby said standing up and running to her. Three more figures came James recognized one as Blake, the girl from last night.

The other two James recognized from Breakfast and the Locker Room. " _Nora and Ren right? They seemed rather friendly earlier."_ Nora pulled out her large Hammer and jumped at the Wendigo, ready to come down on it with her massive hammer, only for the Wendigo to grab it and throw her.

Nora hits the wall and Ren runs over to her. Pyrrha went to Weiss's side as to bring her cover in case of an attack. Blake stood behind Yang and Ruby with her weapon drawn. The Wendigo was looking around and evaluating the situation.

The Wendigo looked at James and snarled like a wild animal. Its wounds had healed completely like no damage was done to it.

Suddenly the cave began to shake and stalactites fell from the ceiling. "Cave in!" Ren shouted as a large assortment of rocks fell. Everyone was trying to dodge them the best they could. As soon as the shaking stopped everyone looked around.

There was a wall of rocks separating the cave. On one side was Ruby, Pyrrha, Weiss, and Ren with Blake, James, Nora, and Yang on the other side with no Wendigo in sight. "Is everyone ok?!" James shouted. "Yea, I think we're ok James!" Pyrrha yelled back.

"Doesn't look like we can get through," Blake said looking around. " _If worse comes to worse I can Teleport… but I should at least try and save my new allies."_ James closed his eyes and rested his hand on his chin to think.

As he thought he felt something. It was the wind coming from deeper in the cave. "Did you all feel that?" He asked looking at the three on his side of the cave in. "Yea, I felt a breeze just now," Yang said.

"That should mean that there is another exit to this cave. Pyrrha! I am gonna take these 3 deeper into the cave to find an Exit." He yelled out. "What should we do then?! Leave you there?!" Weiss yelled in return.

"No, go to the Temple and wait for us there! As soon as we get out we will catch up to you!" He yelled back. "Ok! Be careful! The Wendigo might still be around!" Ruby yelled in response. This made the young man smile. "Don't you worry about me, this isn't my first Wendigo!"

* * *

 _ **Flashback**_

* * *

Deep inside a dark damp forest, two figures stood, looking for a monstrous beast. "Are you sure it is here Lucy?" The young man asked looking around. "I could feel the energy of gluttony in this area. It should be here."

The young man saw a pair of tracks and knelt down to investigate. "Tracks… They seem rather fresh." He said standing back up. Lucy for a moment looked up and then at James. "Karin is calling me, I should go. Can you handle the Wendigo on your own?"

He looked at her with a small smile. "I can handle a Wendigo, besides not like you would be any help." "Oh, why are you so mean to me? It's rude to treat a cute girl like this." She said playfully annoyed. "Find me a cute girl and I'll treat her nice."

She did a fake gasp and smiled. "Ok, then, I'll get you back for that later." She snapped her fingers and vanished into thin air like she wasn't even there to begin with. "Now to find the Wendigo."

Taking a quick glance around he felt a strange presence surrounding him; A dark energy that sent a chill down his spine. He heard the sound of a twig snap and jerked his head to see it was a chipmunk.

" _Damn rodent… nearly gave me a heart attack."_ He thought with a sigh of relief, only to feel a chilling breath down his neck. At that moment fear washed over him, blood going cold as many things raced through his head.

James reflexively jumps forward and turns to see that what was there was gone. "Where did it go?!" He looked around frantically trying to spot where it had gone. Suddenly a pale claw slashed at his arm, tearing through his cloak and causing his blood to splash everywhere on the ground.

"Ahh!" He gripped his arm and dodged to see a Wendigo licking the blood off of its skeletal fingers. It seemed to enjoy it with great delight. James gripped his Cane and made a swing, causing a spike of Ice to be hurled at it.

The Wendigo with little effort deflects the attack and screams at James with deadly intent. It charged forward and went for the young Warlock's neck only to have its bite be stopped by his Cane. Causing it to gnaw on the Cane as if it was a dog bone.

Due to the Magic in the Cane, the biting left no damage. James took the chance to cast another spell that caused a violent shock of electricity to strike the Wendigo. The Wendigo fell back and shook violently with a scream.

James took the opportunity to cast a healing spell on his arm to close the wound. As soon as it did he looked to see the Wendigo standing up and recovered. James stood his ground and pointed his Cane at the beast ready to cast a spell.

" **Burn to make Blaze, Inferno of the sun! Firestorm!** " James said as he created a spiral of fire that circled around the Wendigo and set it ablaze. Turning its pale body into charcoal. It's body then turning into ash.

James collapsed to one knee and took a breath from exhaustion. Having not ever used this spell before caused him to expend vast amounts of his energy. "I… did it…" He said taking a deep breath.

He looked at the pile of ashes and frowned. "Rest in Peace lost Soul, may you find it in the afterlife," James said closing his eye as if it were a small prayer.

* * *

James was leading Yang, Blake, and Nora through the cave, looking for an exit. He was debating in his head whether he should cast a spell to light up the cave but risk exposing himself over leaving it dark but at the risk of a surprise attack.

"Um… James right? Do you know where we are going? It is rather dark." Yang asked. "I can feel the wind coming from this way. It is rather weak but I can definitely feel it. As for seeing I am rather adapt to seeing in the dark."

"I am as well, and I don't think the Wendigo is here at the moment. But I do think we should hurry." Blake said, looking side to side as to look around for the monster. "Don't worry, as long as I am here nobody will die," James said with a small smile.

Taking a few more steps they make a small turn to see a glimpse of light. "Looks like we found our exit!" Yang yelled, running to the light. "Yang! Look out!" James yelled as a Pale figure came from out of nowhere and attacked Yang.

It cut her shoulder but left no damage due to her Aura. Nora ran and swung her hammer at it, slamming the creature into the cave wall as Blake went to cover Yang. James tapped his Cane on the ground and caused the ground to launch upward, creating a spear of stone that stabbed through the Wendigo's stomach.

Everyone ran up as the Wendigo let out a weak whimper before collapsing. "Is it dead?" Nora asked readying her hammer. "It looks like it… but how did you do that?" Blake asked as everyone looked at James.

"Oh, it was Dust…" He lied hoping that they would believe him. "I didn't see you use any," Yang said inspecting him. "Well, it is pretty dark. I'm surprised you could even tell it was him." Nora said, looking at the now dead Wendigo.

" _Please let Nora's explanation work!"_ He thought, hoping that they would accept this answer and move on. "But that was so cool! What else can you do?" Nora asked with excitement. "Various things. But I think it best to save them for a better time." He said with a sigh of joy.

After a short walk, the four of them come across the Temple where the other half had been waiting. Pyrrha looks over and smiles, waving her hands as the four walked closer. "I am glad to see you are ok," Pyrrha said, smiling.

"I am glad to see you are all fine as well. I am also happy to say the Wendigo was taken care of." Weiss's eyes went wide as Ruby and Pyrrha were rather happy to hear the news as Nora was telling Ren what happened with excitement, not even slowing down for a moment.

"Now that all of us here we can now finish our mission," Ruby said walking over to the figures of monsters. There were a few unique figures. Werewolves, Dragons, Ogres and even a Wendigo were just a few of the figures.

James smiled and walked over to the Stone Wendigo Figure and picked it up. "Pyrrha, what do you think of a little memento?" Pyrrha walked next to him and nodded. "I think it's a wonderful reminder of today."

Weiss and Ruby picked a Dragon while Nora immediately grabbed an Ogre. As for Blake and Yang they had chosen a strange wolf-like creatures. James looked at it with a smile. "Oh, a Dire Wolf, a very interesting choice."

"Dire Wolf? Don't you mean Beowolf?" Yang asked, arching a brow. "Beo? Wolf?" James asked tilting his head. "Yea, you know black wolf creatures. They dissolve when killed. You know Grimm?" Pyrrha said looking at him.

" _Grimm? I heard a bit about them earlier. Interesting?"_ "Oh, my mistake. My eyes must be still adjusting to the light." He said waving a hand dismissively. "Shall we head back?" He asked and everyone nodded in agreement.

"Race you to the cliff!" Ruby yelled as she ran, bursting into rose petals. But as she did, Ruby was hit and thrown back to us as everyone looks up to see the Wendigo from earlier. It screamed at everyone as it got on it hind legs.

"How?! It took a spike through the chest!?" Yang yelled in shock. James looked to see Ruby's leg bleeding slightly. In anger, he gripped his Cane. "I have had enough of you!" James walked forward with an aura of pure hatred.

"James!" Pyrrha yelled but James ignored her. "Enough of you!" James swung his Cane and the Wendigo burst into flames, as it let out a blood-curdling scream.

James swung his Cane again and a bolt of lightning struck the Wendigo from the sky. As he swung again shards of Ice came up and stabbed the Wendigo as it screamed in pain. James didn't stop his bombardment of attacks. Going from Fire to Lighting to Ice and then Fire Again.

Soon the Wendigo turned into charcoal and was now burning up as it wineded in pain. James took a deep breath having not prepared himself for the spells he was casting. James walked up to the dying Wendigo and raised his Cane up before slamming his Cane down onto it, turning the rest into ash and only leaving the Antlers.

James takes a few deep breaths and looked over to see how shocked and scared everyone else was. "Are you ok Ruby?" He said looking at her. "Uh, yea… I'm fine… are you ok?" James smiled, "Just peachy."


	5. The Mystical Star

**Authors Note: Hello, It has been a while since I released a chapter, It was done but I have been busy with future chapters that I am still stuck on. I hope you all enjoy and also give me reviews on your thoughts of it, I like to know if there was a slip up or something wrong, or even if you enjoy it. So with this out of the way, Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter Five: The Mystical Star**

* * *

It was getting to be late afternoon, the sun starting to set over the horizon as everyone made their way back to Beacon. James had made sure the young Kobold was reunited with its tribe before heading back to Beacon. It was rather heartwarming for everyone to see the young Kobold reunited with its mother. Even Weiss couldn't help but smile.

As they reached the top of the rocky cliff they were met by Professor Ozpin, sipping his freshly brewed coffee. "Welcome back Students. I take it your mission was successful?" He said taking a delighted sip from his mug, steam rising from it.

"Yes, and as an addition, we had taken down a Wendigo and reunited a young Kobold with its family. I would say today was rather productive." James responded as he held up the figure of the Wendigo that both Pyrrha and him had picked as she stood at his side with a smile.

"Well done, I congratulate you all on your Initiation. Now that everyone has finished we will now gather in the assembly to decide teams." Everyone smiled, cheering as they all went to assembly; happy to have passed initiation.

* * *

It was now late at night, the moon glowing as teams were being assigned. It was teams of four made of two pairings. James was wondering who he might be teamed up with. He knew Pyrrha was his partner but the other half gave him worry. He did not know if it would be Ruby and Weiss, Blake and Yang, or Nora and Ren. Or if he would even be teamed up with them at all.

" _I wonder what Ozpin has in mind?"_ He thought to himself as he waited. Soon the only pairs that were left were James and Pyrrha, Ren and Nora, Weiss and Ruby and Blake and Yang. Ozpin cleared his throat. "James H Phantom, Ruby Rose, Lie Ren, Yang Xiao Long, Pyrrha Nikos, Blake Belladonna, Nora Valkyrie, and Weiss Schnee. The Eight of you have acquired, The Wendigo, Dragon, Ogre, and Beowolf figures. Normally I would assign you all to two separate teams but this year the four Huntsmen Academies have decided to try out a new program."

"New Program?" Everyone asked, arching a brow and tilting their head. "The program is to create a new team of Eight, one that would be capable of even more than a team of four and provide more opportunities for teamwork." He paused for a moment, letting everyone digest what he said before he announced the teams name." The Eight of you will be called Team Mystical."

James smiled and did a small clap. "I find the idea wonderful, who will be leading our team? Pyrrha? Weiss? Maybe Ruby?" James asked as Ozpin chuckled softly. "No Team Mystical will be lead by you. Mr. James H Phantom."

James was taken aback. "Me?" he asked, Think that he may have misheard him. "Yes, It will be you, Mr. Phantom." James didn't know how to react, it was not what he had expected. "Are you sure Professor? I am sure somebody else could do a much better job than I ever could."

"Footage out there showed that you have an affinity to lead and come up with plans. You are not swayed from danger and are not afraid to put yourself in harm's way if it meant doing the right thing. These qualities make you the best choice to lead Team Mystical."

James was speechless, he didn't know what he should say. The idea of him leading never crossed his mind. He wanted to say 'Thank you,' or even 'It's an honor' went through his head but that was interrupted by Yang patting him on the back. "Whoa! Go, James!"

Everyone in the auditorium started to clap. It was slightly overwhelming for the Warlock. Never had this happened to him before, a group celebrating his achievement. It was a new feeling that made him smile and overwhelmed him a little. "Thank you, Professor, I am honored that you chose me for this task."

"You're Welcome. I am sure this will be a very interesting year for all of us" Ozpin said sipping his coffee.

* * *

Team Mystical were on their way to their new dorm room. They were told it is greatly improved from the standards the normal teams were given.

As James walked he couldn't help but be somewhat irritated by the results of how his team is. " _On Top of School work, Research, Finding Karin and training I now have to manage a team… this is going to drastically cut down time on the investigation of the magic in this world. I am going to be emotionally exhausted trying to pretend I am not a Warlock."_

They reach their dorm and James puts the key in the lock. Turning the handle he swings the door open to show a rather beautiful dorm room. In the right corner closest to the door was four wooden bunk beds made to be comfortable and minimize the space used.

In the other corner closest to the door was a small living area with a TV, Couch and many other things to provide a comfortable relaxing area. On the other side of the room were eight desks and a few bookshelves that would be used for storage.

The back of the room had two windows that provided a lovely view of the courtyard and to the sides were a large bathroom and a walk-in closet.

Everyone looked around, but James noticed one thing rather odd. "We are sharing a room? I was expecting small separate rooms," he said looking around quizzically. "What do you mean?" Yang asked looking at him.

"I wasn't aware that the dorms were as Co-Ed as this…" Yang laughed a little, "Your very old fashioned aren't you?" James set his Cane down, leaning it against the entrance to the door. "I suppose I am, I do believe in one's own privacy. I just feel a bit uncomfortable sharing a room like this."

James felt something call out to him, it was similar to the other night. He felt that he would have to do something now rather than later. "You alright James?" Pyrrha asked resting a hand on his shoulder.

"Huh? Oh, Just lost in thought; I think I will go on a walk to clear my head, this should give you ladies time to change. Shall we step out for a bit Ren?" He asked looking at Ren. Ren nodded in agreement as they both stepped out.

James grabbed his Cane as the closed the door behind them. "I will go for my walk, You can wait here if you like." Ren smiled and shook his head. "I shall join you, perhaps we can get to know each other better?" James smiled, but only on the outside.

James knew that having anyone around to see him investigate would not be good for keeping himself hidden. But he knew that if he said 'No' it would draw suspicion. He knew a few Charms he could use to keep him here but he didn't want to risk him remembering.

"Then let us go," James said as the two walked down the hallway. "So, to where do you Hail from Lie Ren?" James asked, looking at him with a smile. "Nora and I are from Anima. We have been on the road together. What about you?"

" _Anima? That's the continent Mistral is located on correct? Hmm… I guess I should be wary of what I say, One slip up could be the end of me."_ "I'm from a small town, rather out of the way," James said, not lying, but not going to much into detail.

As the two walk, they find themselves near the elevator to the Headmaster's office. "Interesting, why did we come here?" Ren asked, looking at James. " _The Elevator? Does this mean there is another floor? I only see a button going up…"_

"I am not sure. I suppose we should head back, I am sure they have finished." James says turning around as the two walk back. Ren looked at James with curious eyes. As if to study him, looking for something that could give a hint as to what was going on in his mind.

James notices and smiles at him. "Something on your mind?" He asked. "It's nothing," Ren said, very monotone and lacking emotion. They reach their dorm room again and knock on the door to verify that the girls were finished.

The door opens and Blake is standing at the door looking at her two male teammates. She wore a rather flattering purple nightgown. "I take it you ladies are done?" James asked tilting his head. Blake didn't say anything and only nodded as she went over to her bed.

Ren and James walk in to see all the girls all in their night attire. Each with their own designs. Ren walked pass James to get changed in the bathroom, grabbing his small duffel bag. James looked at Pyrrha, she wore red short pants and a white tank top shirt with the word 'Shine' on it.

Pyrrha looked at him in return and smiled. "Are you going to change?" She asked, brushing her hair. "I'll wait for Ren to finish, due to my travels I have yet to shower in a few days." He said resting his cane against the side of the door.

A few moments later Ren had come out in Green pajamas and a nightcap. James walked in and shut the door, locking it behind him. He took off his messenger bag and set it on the floor, then taking his dark blue cloak off and folding it into his bag.

He pointed at the shower and snapped his fingers, after a moment the shower had turned on with the right temperature of water. After stripping down and grabbing a few things from his bag, he stepped into the shower, enjoying the warm water.

"Ah… Now, this is what I needed after this whole ordeal." The water soaked into his hair as he washed it with some of the shampoo he had made. It was made to make his skin a lot more healthy than standard shampoo.

" _This place seems to hold something deep inside. Not to mention the strange vibe I get from Ozpin and Glynda Goodwitch… When class is over I will have to research the school. Any hint as to what may be here would serve as great leverage."_

Once James was done taking a shower he turned the water off and used his wind magic to blow dry himself off. " _Magic can be very convenient; if only more would accept it."_ James went through his bag to find a change of clothes.

He takes out a pair of sweatpants and a comfy shirt. After putting them on he also found a jacket with a hoodie to keep him warmer. After stepping out he sees some of them laying on their beds. James takes his bag and sets it on the edge of the bed as he climbs onto the top bunk.

"Good Night Everyone." He said as one by one everyone said goodnight.

* * *

It was a blackened abyss. No matter what direction that was looked in was a Void of black. James stood there looking around at the nothingness that was the void that he had seen this place many times before.

But this time it felt off; like there was a sense of danger making his skin crawl. "Help me! Please!" He heard a woman shout, it echoed a bit in the dark. "Hello?" James yelled back as he looked around.

"Somebody! Help me!" The voice yelled, James walked in the direction that he thought it was coming from. Soon James saw someone, a woman with a light brown skinned complexion with short brown hair that went down to her shoulders.

She wore an off-white blouse, a brown corset, and pants with golden bracers and boots. She looked around until she noticed the Warlock. "Hello?" She said looking at him cautiously. "Hi… Are you ok?"

She nervously walked up to him. "Where am I? And why can't I escape?" James tilted his head in confusion. "You're in the Dream Void, are you not asleep or something?" He asked. "I… I don't know, all I remember was an ambush. Then I woke up here…"

James stroked his chin and thought. "Strange, only those with magical inclination can end up here. Are you perhaps a Witch?" He asked as she gave a shocked look. "A Witch? Of course not I am a Maiden of the Gods." James was even more confused.

"You can be a Witch and still have your virginity intact. I don't see the correlation." She gave a look of confusion as well. "Not Virginity, A Maiden." She said. "Sorry, I feel that maybe something is being misunderstood."

"Do you not know what a Seasonal Maiden is?" She said, crossing her arms. "Afraid not." He said unsure of what to say. "Do you know the story of the four seasonal Maidens?"

James shook his head. "I can't say I have, I am not familiar with Fairy Tales." She gave a look of offense. "Excuse me, I am one of the Maidens chosen by the Gods. I deserve a little respect." James looked a bit confused but somewhat understood.

"Apologies, I meant no offense. Could you please tell me? I am unfamiliar with the Seasonal Maidens." She looked around for a moment. "I would love to but could you please help me, I can't stay in here."

"Sorry, I can't do anything from here. You should wake up on your own… unless…" He trailed off. "Unless what?" She asked with a bit of fear. "You said you were ambushed correct?" She nodded her head. "Hmm, it is possible you are in a Coma. You might have been put into a deep sleep due to your attackers."

She looked like she was about to cry. Not knowing what to do. She then ran up and grabbed James's chest. "Please! Get me out of here! This place is…" James hugged her in a comforting way rubbing her back and shushing her like she was a child.

"Do not worry, I will find you and wake you up. I have a way to awaken anyone from a deep Coma. I just need to find you." She looked at him and wiped away her tears. "Thank you… Thank you so much." The two parted as they smiled.

"What is your name Miss?" James asked. "I am Amber Autumn. The Fall Maiden." James smiled and did a bow. "James H Phantom, A scholar, and researcher of everything Magic." She smiled and looked at him. "You said that only those with a Magical inclination can be here. So what are you."

"Oh… Um… If I tell you I ask you to keep it a secret." She nodded, "It is the least I can do for you helping me; being the first thing I have seen since being here." James sighed. "I am a-"

Suddenly he noticed himself turning transparent. "Oh no… looks like I am waking up. I'm sorry, I will be back soon. I promise." Amber looked a bit scared. "Wait! Tell me! What are you!" James smiled, "I'm a Warlock, and I promise to find you and wake you up."

James started to disappear, leaving Amber alone. "Warlock…"


End file.
